Coating flexible objects of organic origin with metal.



R. RAFN & G. E. SGHMIDMBR. COATING FLEXIBLE OBJECTS OF ORGANIC ORIGINWITH METAL.

APPLICATION FILED 001. 16,1912. v 1,099,934. Patented June 16, 1914.

witmw Invaders,

I UNITED STATES r iTEnT oFrIoE.

ROBERT RAFN AND GEORG E. S CHMIDM'ER, OF NUREMBEEG, GERMANY.

COATING FLEXIBLE OBJECTS OF ORGANIC ORIGIN WITH MET AL.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, Ronnn'r RAFN and GnoneE. SCHMIDMER, subjects of Norway and of Germany, respectively, residingat Nuremberg, Mittelfranken, Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, have inventedcertai-n new and useful Improvements in Coating Flexible Objects ofOrganic Origin with to the following and other objects of similarquality as raw material: yarn, thread, textile fabrics and hair ofnatural and artificial.

materials, wood, natural and artificial feathers, leather, horn; Theadvantage of the invention if applied to objects of the said descriptionresides especially in the preservation of their flexibility and softnessas indispensable for instance embellishing coatings of silky fabric andfeathers such as ostrich feathers for ladies hats.

In order to produce the coating before mentioned on objects of the kindin question said objects are passed in vacuum through I an electricfield of such intensity that the metal of one or more of the electrodesbetween which the current passes becomes disintegrated and depositedupon the objects to be coated. The coating produced in this way on saidflexible material of organic origin and cellular structure possesseshigh brilliancy and adheres firmly to the objects even if bent, creasedor puckered for the reason that the disintegrated metal penetrates intothe superficial pores of the materials under treatment. The specialadvantage of the process of producing said coating consists thereinthat. every previous treatment of the articles such as rendering themconductive or dipping same into baths is dispensed with. I

In order to economically carry through the process it is advisable toeffect the disintegrating of the metal to be deposited on I Applicationfiled October 16, 1912. Serial No. 726,151.

the objects in question by calculated transformer.

The objects to be plated are preferably placed between two or moreelectrodes of the metals in question, or they are passed at the properrate between or by the electrodes by means of a suitable motor. In somecases it is advisable that the object be so covered by screens of glass,hard rubber, card board etc. that only the central or more intensivepart of the field is employed in covering the object. Metal that becomesdeposited u on the screens or the walls of the using a suitably vacuumciamber may be easily recovered if desired.

For a full understandin of the invention, reference is made to t eaccompanying drawing which represents an apparatus for coating openfabrics, such as gauze, lace, etc.- I In said drawing Figure ,1 is avertical section on line a-a of Fig. 2; and Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionon line 12-?) of Fig. 1.

In said drawing, 1 represents a vacuum chamber closed by the lid 2. I

3 is a frame having mounted therein a number of shafts or rolls adaptedto be driven through chain-sprockets 5, 5, by a motor 12 situated in arecess of the cover 2, the driving being effected through a wormgear 11.I The metal electrodes 7 and 8, of

opposite polarity, are suspended between in sulators 9, and areconnected with the source of electricity by insulated conductors 10which pass, properly sealed, through the wall of the vacuum chamber 1.The fabric under treatment, which is wound upon reel (3, passes overfeed rolls 4 and around and between the electrodes 7 and 8. In somecases it is advisable that the object to becoated be so. covered byscreens of glass, hard rubber, cardboard, etc., that it is sub jectedonly to the central or more intense part of the field. whereby a morenearly even coating is obtained. In the drawing, 13,indicates theposition of these screens, when used.

\Vith electrodes, for instance of 25 square inches, at a distance apartof 6 inches in an air-vacuum of about two thousandths of one inch ofmercury column an alternating cur rent of the; frequency 50 of 1700 to2500 volts and 0,025 ampere will sutfice to cover an interposed objectsuch as a silky fabric with gold in less than 10 minutes.

Metals that are especially suitable for this of these with one anotherand with smaller amounts of other metals In some cases alloys may beemployed that cannot be deposiled in the electrolytic bath.

It is characteristic of articles prepared in accordance with the presentinvention that they retain the surface character of the organic base,while presenting the proper color and the metallic luster of the coatingmetal. This is probably due, in part at least, to the discontinuouscharacter of the metal film, as well as to its extreme tenuity. Thisprobability is strengthened by the observed fact that the depositedfilms offer a decidedly higher electrical resistance than does acontinuous film containing the same weight of metal distributed over thesame area.

As illustrations of the above-mentioned preservation of the surfacecharacter of the organic base, .it is noted that coated moire silks,figured fabrics and the like exhibit their characteristic markings andthat coated silk and cotton threads for example areeasilydistinguishable from each other.

What we claim is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a base of organic origin andcellular structure, having applied thereto, by a process of electricaldistintegration, an adherent, tenuous, metal-coating, said articleexhibiting both the color and the luster of the metal and the surfacecharacter of the organic base.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a flexible base of organic originand cellular structure, having applied thereto, by a process ofelectrical disintegration, an adherent, tenuous metal-coating, saidarticle retaining its flexibility and exhibiting both the color and theluster of the metal and the surface character of the organic base.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a fabric of organic origin andcellular structure,

' having applied thereto, by a process of electrical disintegration, anadherent, tenuous metal-coating, said fabric retaining its flexibilityand exhibiting both the color and the luster of the metal and thesurface character of the original fabric.

4. A process of producin durable coatings upon a flexible base oforganic origin and cellular structure, which consists in passing thematerial to be coated, in a vacuum, in proximity to suitable metalelectrodes, and maintaining an electrical field of such character as todeposit on said material a metal coating, the coated article exhibitingboth the color and luster of the metal and the surface character of theorganic base, and retaining the flexibility of said base,

5. A process of producing durable coatings upon a base of organic originand cellular structure, which consists in passing the material to becoated, in a vacuum, in proximity to suitable metal electrodes, andmaintaining an electrical field of such character as to deposit-on saidmaterial a metal coating, the coated article exhibiting both the colorand luster of the metal and the surface character of the organic base,said base being screened from the weaker peripheral portions of saidfield.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

ROBERT RAFN. GEORG E. SCHMIDMER. lVitnesses:

OSCAR Boon, A. WrrrMANN.

